Umbrella, parasol and the like



. S. DJCATHCART UMBRELLA, PARASOL AND THE LIKE May 15, 1951 Filed 001;. 5, 1946 .Y Z 1mm M mn b Z D a,

Patented May'15; 1951 UMBRELLA, PARASOL AND THE LIKE Samuel Duncan Cathcart, Enfield, England, as-

signor to Kendall & Sons, Limited, Leicester,

England Application October 5, 1946, Serial No. 701,594 In Great Britain October 1, 1946 2 Claims. 1

The. present invention relates to improvements in and relating to umbrellas, sunshades, parasols and the like (hereinafter termed umbrellas), wherein the conventional method of sewing around the edge of the central opening of the cover and the subsequent sewing on of the notch rosette is superseded, and at the same time the appearance and strength of the construction is improved and the operation of securing the cover to the stick de-skillcd and quickened by providing the cover with a central eyelet.

An object of the invention is to provide in the center of the cover a strong two-part eyelet which is of a construction that will enable the seamed cover material to be strongly gripped without so damaging the cover material that it will tear away from the eyelet under the stress of tensioning and slackening the cover in repeatedly opening and closing it.

A further object of the invention is to secure a strong elastic grip of the cover material.

A further object of the invention is to con struct the eyelet parts so that they may be powerfully urged towards one another to produce a narrow marginal band of gripping pressure and interlocked axially by a swaging operation without however swaging the metal of the eyelet into direct contact with the cover material.

A further object of the invention is to enable l the cover material to be effectively gripped with out causing it, in repeatedly opening and closing the cover, to be chafed by sharp eyelet edges.

According to the present invention, the cover is provided with a central two-part eyelet, one of which parts has an inner tubular projection which passes through an aperture in the center of the cover and through the central aperture of the other part and defines the shank-receiving aperture in the cover, each part having an outer rolled or beaded flange and the parts being clenched so that the free end of the tubular projection is headed outwards and locks the parts together axially and the rolled or beaded flanges are made to grip between them the seamed cover material around the tubular projection. The cover may in this way be securely gripped without undue risk of the edges of the parts cutting through the cover material.

The outer edge of one part may have a serits of teeth which draw and kink the seamed material of the cover into a receiving portion of the other part before such material is finally gripped by the flanges.

Such a grommet is very effective since with a comparatively small overall diameter of grommet the cover seams which approach one another within the grommet as a result ofthe kinking action of the teeth, are very powerfully gripped around the marginal zone of the grommet and forces tending to rupture the material or pull it from within the grommet are resisted strongly by this gripping band or zone and by the fact that within the grommet the seamed material, is strongly kinked by the teeth, yet the grommet produces a clean bushing and a very neat finish to the cover externally thereof and enables the centre of the cover to be passed over the end of the shank of the umbrella and secured or clamped between the notch and peg-end, open end or cap of the umbrella with considerable ease of assembly or disassembly without involving sewing operations.

The teeth may project from the edge of either part so as to pass and bend. within the outer edge of the other part and bend the material down over such rolled or beaded edge, but they are preferably on the centrally apertured part. Preferably the parts are of oppositely arched l channel cross section having beaded or rolled outer edges which grip the seamed cover material between them when the parts are clenched.

The gores of the cover may be seamed together to a distance terminating short of the apex end of the gores so that the ends of the seams define an aperture for the reception of the tubular projection of the one part and while the free apex ends of the gores may be cut off, this operation may be dispensed with since such ends may be folded outwards and theother part then fitted and the two parts clenched so that the apex ends as well as the seam-ed material become gripped. The gores may thus be formed by well known methods of substantially triangular form, the apex ends being left free and providing additional material between the clenched parts.

To promote centralisation of the eyelet in the cover, I may stretch the cover over a former centrally of which the clenching tools are located. locate the cover at a number of predetermined points around its perimeter in relation to the former and then operate the clenching tools to clench the two parts of the eyelet. The former may substantially correspond in shape to the shape of the cover when normally extended by the umbrella frame. Advantageously, to promote accurate location of the. cover to the former the perimeter of the cover is provided with a series of bushed eyelets and the cover is located by pins or the like engaging said eyelets. These eyelets may subsequently serve to facilitate connection of the cover perimeter to the end of the ribs of the umbrella, e. g., as described and claimed in my co-pending application No. 701,593, filed October 5, 1946, now Patent No. 2,543,360, dated February 27, 1951.

In applying the eyeleted central portion of the cover to the end of the shank no sewing or other manipulation of the cover material is necessary but the eyelet is simply passed over the projecting end of the stafi or stick and may be retained by a peg-end fitted over such projecting end.

The end face of the peg-end, open cap or end may be shaped to correspond substantially with the surface of the corresponding eyelet part and it may be constructed and arranged so as to leave only the beaded edge of such part showing.

The peg-end, open cap or end may be a friction fit over the projecting end of the shank and be secured to the staff and the eyelet by an adhesive.

The projecting end of the shank may be formed rough or grooved or similarly formed with adhesive retaining cavities and/ or the inside of the peg end'may be similarly formed.

In order that the present invention may be the more readily understood reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which a form of the invention is illustrated by way of example in which a grommet formof eyelet is used in which the centrally apertured part is provided with the teeth..

Fig. 1 shows in side elevation the two parts of the eyelet separated from one another.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation showing the clenching tools about to clench the grommet parts in the centre of the inside-out umbrella cover.

Fig. 3 is a plan view With the top clenching tool removed and showing the approximate formation of the centre of the inside of the cover when the grommet parts are about to be clenched.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional elevation showing the grommet parts clenched.

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of the top of the umbrella showing the cover turned about to bring the seams to the inside and fitted to the frame of the umbrella.

Fig. 6 shows a peg-end suitable for a gentlemans umbrella constructed according to the invention.

Fig. '7 shows diagrammatically a method of locating the umbrella cover for eyeleting the centre thereof.

Referring to the drawings, the umbrella cover I is made up of multiple triangular gores 2. I seam these gores in any convenient or usual manner as shown at 3 to a position 4 short of the apex end of the gores thus leaving free apex portions 5 which may be cut ofi", but are preferably left to avoid this operation and turned back as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 either before or after the tubular projection B of the grommet part I has been passed through the aperture in the cover thus formed. The tubular projection is of approximately conical shape and rises from arm 8 which is of arched section and a rolled or beaded outer flange Ill. The toothed grommet part I l is of arched section and has a rolled or beaded outer flange l2 and is formed with a marginal series of teeth [3 adapted to be entered within the edge of the part 1 (hereinafter termed the tubular part), and a central aperture 9.

These parts are intended for grommeting the central portion of the cover, and lower and upper clenching tools M, l5 are used for clenching the two parts and gripping the seamed material of the cover around the central opening therein.

For performing the grommeting operation, the cover is turned inside out as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, to bring the scams 3 to the outside. The tubular part 1 is located in the annular groove I6 in the lower tool l4 and the tubular projection extended through the central opening in the cover formed by folding back the free apex portions 5 thereof, the seams extending radially inwards pastthe edge of the bead, e. g., up to the conical tubular projection. The toothed part is then passed down over the top of the tubular projection as shown in Fig. 2 and the upper tool I5 with a conical depending piece I! is lowered into the interior of the conical tubular projection of the tubular part 1.

The top tool is provided with a marginal groove l8 of such form that as such tool and the lower tool approach, e. g., by forcing down the top tool, the conical piece first forces outwards the conical tubular projection and then brings the grommet parts towards one another so that the teeth of the one toothed part engage and press down the material of the cover into the channeled flange of the tubular part I, the teeth bending inwards and drawing and kinking material of the cover into the chamber between the grommet parts until as shown in Fig. 4 the beaded flanges of such parts grip the cover and its seams as well as the folded back free apex portions 5 between them while the teeth kink and bite the material of the cover so that a powerful hold thereof by the grommet parts is realised. The free end portion of the tubular projection' is flanged or beaded outwards by the tool l5 as shown in Fig. 4 so that the two parts are securely axially interlocked.

To promote centralisation of the eyelet in the cover, the cover I may be stretched over a former 40 (Fig. 7) the cover having eyelets 4| around its periphery and the cover being located by pins 42 engaging some or all of such eyelets. The two clenching tools l4, l5 are located with ref erence to the former, e. g., the lower tool being housed in the former and the upper tool accurately located thereover as by mountin the tool guides 43 in a frame carrying the former. The former may be shaped as shown to correspond substantially with the shape the cover takes when it is opened by the umbrella frame.

I prefer to employ grommet parts made of metal of sufiicient ductility and lack of springiness as to enable them to form bearing surfaces over the cloth without damaging the same and without a reflex spring action which would necessitate their being bent so much further than grommet parts made of ductile material in order to stay in the required position as would involve liability of cutting the cloth. Grommets of aluminum or aluminum alloy having the desired ductility and also may be anodised to a wide variation of colours. Alternatively they may be made of or covered or coated with plastic materials if desired, and these materials may be suitably colcured.

The cover thus grommeted is turned about again before being applied to the umbrella frame.

For example as shown in Fig. 5 the umbrella stick or staff 20 is provided with a reduced shank 2| over which is passed and pinned as indicated at 22 a notch 23 to which the ribs 24 of the umbrella frame may be held in any suitable way, the way shown being by means of a wire threaded through holes 26 in the ribs and twisted at the ends in well known manner.

An inside flexible cap 26a, e. g. of fabric (Fig. 5) may be arranged between the inside of the cover and the corresponding part of the grommet to cover the free projecting ends 5 of the gores and generally to promote a finished appearance on the inside of the cover as well as to prevent the chafing before described. A cap could be arranged between the grommet and the flange of the notch.

A peg-end, open cap or end, e. g., of wood or a plastic 21, is then applied to the shank 2|. The peg-end 21 and the shank may be screw threaded or otherwise suitably engaged with one another, but in the form shown the peg end is a friction flt over the shank and its end face 28 is shaped approximately to correspond with the bottom of the channel of the ring component I. The inner wall of the peg-end may be left or made rough or may be grooved or otherwise made adhesive retaining and/or the projecting end of the shank may be made or left rough or suitably formed to retain adhesive, e. g., by providing it with a number of saw cuts at any desired spacing, indicated at 31, and adhesive may be arranged in the peg-end and the peg-end tapped down over the shank into final position as indicated in Fig. 5, so that only the outer edge of the flange of the tubular part 1 is visible. A very neat external finish is produced, no free or raw edges of the cover material projecting externally of the cover from within the eyelet.

The cover may be protected beneath the flanges of the eyelets, especially on the inside of the cover, by reinforcing patches, e. g., of fabric and these may be coated with a plastic coating, e. g., of latex or Bostick but these are generally not necessary with the grommet form of eyelet.

Fig. 6 shows a peg-end 3!] suitable for a gentlemans umbrella constructed according to the invention and comprising a tapering wooden shank 3| with a metal ferrule 32 at one end and a thin flared open cap 33 at the other end, the open cap 33 being threaded down over the thin end of the shank and made a friction fit with the thick end of the shank which is socketed at 35 to receive the end of the umbrella stick when the peg-end is applied thereover to bring the large screw thread formed therein but other materials such as certain woods may need a liner for that purpose.

For either ladies or gentlemens umbrellas the central clamp may be an intermediate screw threaded open end sleeve surmounted by an open finishing off cap. Or the open finishing ofi cap may be arranged to serve both purposes.

The toothed form herein described has the further advantage of securely locking the eyelet against rotation with respect to the cover.

What I claim is:

1. An umbrella cover comprising seamed gores and a central opening, an eyelet in said opening, said eyelet including a first annular member having a central aperture and an outer rolled margin terminating in an in-turned flange, a coacting second annular member having an inner axially extending tubular projection and an outer rolled margin terminating in an in-turned flange inclined relative to the axis of said tubular projection and having a gripping edge constituting a seat for the cover, said in-turned flange on said first-named member being inclined to the tubular projection and having a gripping edge, said flanges being opposed and spaced from each other, said cover extending into the space between said flanges and clamped therebetween when the parts are assembled, said gripping edges engaging opposite sides of the cover, the cover material between said flanges being unpierced by the flanges, said tubular projection passing through the opening in the cover and through the central aperture in the first member, the free end of said tubular projection having an outwardly disposed substantially semi-circular bead so that the end of the projection engages the first annular member and interlocks the two members axially, the inner end of the flange on the first member engaging the outer wall of said tubular projection below the beaded end thereof, and said inclined flanges being spaced from the adjacent walls of their respective members.

2. An umbrella cover as called for in claim 1 in which the edge of the first annular member has a series of teeth directed inwardly towards said projection so as to draw and kink the material of the cover into the space between the flanges before the material is finally gripped and clamped by the flanges.

SAMUEL DUNCAN CATI-ICART.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 143,297 Odiorne Sept. 30, 1873 304,249 Wilcox Aug. 26, 1884 2,123,722 Flichtenfeld et a1. July 12, 1938 2,317,160 Weinberg Apr. 20, 1943 

